That is the case on the 28^th of February 2010, as 12 teams registered and competed in the first ever Dodgeball Jackpot Madness Tournament. The premise is simple: Each team pays a set fee for registering players (maximum of 8 per team, 6 playing at all times) and then proceed to play in a league styled round-robin competition, with respective group winners playing a final group mini-tournament to determine the champions. To put things simply: play every game, win every game, become champions; A fail-proof formula taken by all major sports in today’s world.

Running the entire morning till the late evening at the old sports park in ss15, the competition filled up pretty quickly, and by 10.30am all 12 teams were suited up and ready to go. Competition was fierce, and the competitive spirit so often seen in football and basketball was omnipresent as the teams gave it their all in their quest for victory and the cash prize. It’s amazing to watch the level of enthusiasm present in the players. Braving the scorching heat, everyone was all laughs and smiles as the games progressed. Hunger pangs? Get into a friendly players car and grab lunch together. No other alternative sport has this kind of camaraderie amongst its participants. Not one that I can think of at least.

The game of dodgeball has grown from its humble origins as a kindergarten sport originating in the United States. International dodgeball leagues and tournaments have been held all around the world, among them Hong Kong and the Phillipines, to name just a few. In Malaysia, it’s run by the Malaysia Association of Dodgeball (aptly coined M.A.D) and they have been hard at work, organizing tournaments, clinics for beginners and those interested at learning the game, as well as forming new dodgeball clubs in different colleges all around Malaysia, as well as the local Rukun Tetangga, to encourage community dodgeball and promote a sense of closeness among neighbors, friends and strangers alike.

Culminating in the Campus Dodgeball Championship held from June till September last year, whereby teams from different colleges all around Malaysia competed in the first organized Dodgeball League competition in Cineleisure Damansara, the meteoric rise of dodgeball from just another run-of-the-mill game to the leading alternative sport in this country has been nothing short of amazing. What you waiting for? Get in on the action. Get in the game. Dodgeball- where balls thrown with great force are greeted with open arms.

Congratulations to UC 2, KNIGHTS DC and DIM SUM as winners (in sequence)